Bella's "Best Day Ever"

Today, the boys and I had the incredible honor of being in attendance when our buddy Bella officially became Bella McClure. It was such a special time - and true to form, Bella gave out the best hugs after her adoption. I have pictures of her as a tiny little thing hugging on Jones not long after she first became Russ and Jenni's. 

Now that it's official, we can't wait to party with this precious girl! Jenni's planning a big shindig on July 22. We will be there with bowties on!

Mayhem his Marco Island.

If Jeremy and I had brainstormed vacation destinations for a thousand years, I don't think we'd have come up with Marco Island, Florida.

In fact, South Florida is pretty much only on our radar, because of my aunt and uncle's place in Fort Myers and because we both really want to stay at the Breakers in Palm Beach.

One day.

Anyway, I'd have assumed we were too young, too Southern, and too not-wealthy for Marco Island.

Then, Jeremy sold his way into Allstate's Southeastern Honor Ring and with the victory came a trip to Marco. Suddenly, the place we'd never have thought of going to became the place we couldn't wait to see.

And, oh, my gosh, Y'all. Is it a place to see! The best way I can describe it is that it LOOKS like Maui. It doesn't feel like Maui. It's hotter. It doesn't smell of tropical flowers, and, to be honest, beach-wise, I thought the Gulf Coast was LAME (I prefer my beaches to have actual WAVES), but still, it's the only place I've ever been that I'd say is as beautiful as the South Pacific.

We had an outstanding trip. It got started with Freddie's first flight. It was Jones's second but the first he could remember. I had friends praying for him well before the trip. I knew he'd either LOVE it, or we'd be on ABC Nightly News - one of those families dragged off the plane because of the behavior of their inconsolable child.

And actually, that's kinda how it started to go down. Jones was doing GREAT in the airport - even getting through security didn't phase him. He played around the terminal and studied our plane through the wall of windows. The trouble started when it was time to walk down the jetway.

Then came his crazy.

Freddie, who, as expected, did AMAZINGLY well, and I were already on the plane. Jeremy was stuck with Jones, who wouldn't calm down, even though the pilot himself tried to welcome him on board. When he and Jeremy finally made their way to our seats on the very back row of the plane, Jones sat, screaming, beside me. I pulled out my phone and turned on an episode of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse." That helped to calm him down, and before we were even off the ground, he was looking at me, saying, "I LIKE it!"

From then on, he was a MASTER flyer. In fact, as we deplaned after the second leg of the trip - Atlanta to Fort Myers - I bragged about how well he behaved on the flight. His response? Bowing at the waist and saying, "Thankyou.Thankyou.Thankyouverymuch."

Which one of you knuckleheads introduced him to Elvis?

We then got our rental car - a maroon Jeep Something or Other - and started the hour-ish drive to Marco Island. There's not much more than interstate between the two, so as soon as you see the palm-lined boulevards, it's hard not to be in awe of the island. We checked in to our room at the recently renovated JW Marriott.

It was a BEAUTIFUL room with a great view of one of the hotel's two pools. Jones's energetic response to seeing everything, however, was, "Oh, my GOODNESS! It's got a PHONE." Thankfully, it had TWO phones, because BOTH boys spent no small amount of time entertaining themselves with them.

That nite, we went to the Snook Inn. Since I've known him, Jeremy has talked about this place. It was a favorite of his Uncle Ronnie and "Antsy" (that's what Freddie calls "Aunt Nancy") when they had a place in Naples. That made deciding on dinner easy.

The next morning, we spent three hours as the only "crew" on a catamaran. It was absolutely amazing. After that, we had a little pool time and little nap time before going to a VERY hot dinner at a hole in the wall where parking was $25. I kid you not $25. The food itself wasn't even worth $25.

Our final day on Marco was spent on the beach first and, later, at the pool. The festivities concluded with the boys and I eating room service and watching "Thomas," while Jeremy went to the Gala Awards dinner just down the hall from our room.

After such a spectacular trip, I've told Jeremy that he needs to keep hitting those sales goals. Traveling on Allstate's dime is almost as fun as traveling on my daddy's used to be!

"Space School"

Jones and Freddie continued learning the ropes at Clyde First Baptist by attending VBS at the church this week. The theme was Lifeway's "Galactic Starveyors," and after the first nite, Jones was already referring to it as "Space School." And so it shall henceforth be known ...

Freddie was skittish when I first left him on Monday. By the time we picked him up later, he was already asking to come back the next nite. Jones, on the other hand, did GREAT. I mean, like, SURPRISINGLY well. He wanted me to wait with him while they all lined up along the brick wall in the church hallway, and he wanted me to process in with them, but once I did that, he took his seat just as pretty as you please, and I walked away to meet Jeremy in the corridor. When I got there, I was crying. I didn't even know why. Probably a mixture of relief (yes! He didn't pitch a fit!) and sadness (he doesn't need me anymore?) that Jones was so blessedly blasé about my leaving.

Anyway, I anticipated they'd be taking an offering at VBS. I intentionally didn't send the boys with any money on Monday nite, because I wanted to see how they'd respond to being asked for it. Jones, like he did in Children's Church at our Lake Church, said, "No. I'm not giving MY money."

Freddie, however, said he wanted to give HIS to Jesus. When I asked where he could get some money, he said, "From my bank." That's "from his Disney bank." I was so proud that he wanted to give, and sure enough, the next nite - and several nites after, until the final nite when he dumped out his bank and gave it ALL to the offering - he gave his quarters to Jesus.

I told Jones I wasn't going to make him give. I sang him the verse song we know to "God loves a cheerful giver," and I reminded him that "it's more blessed to give than to receive." I left it at saying I'd be praying that God would change his heart about giving. But I didn't feel like it'd do any good to force him to give. As I said, "God loves a CHEERFUL giver." Maybe Scrooge Mc-Son-of-Mine will be ready to part with the dollars (that I've put in his bank) by next Summer.

The second nite of VBS, when I went to pick the boys up, the director asked me if Freddie was mine. I said, "Yes" and immediately followed it with "What'd he do?" Instead, she pulled out her phone and showed me a video of Freddie dancing his fool head off. It was PRECIOUS and hilarious and evidence that they were having a BALL at Space School.

On Friday nite, the boys had their Space School graduation. Mom and Daddy made the drive up for the big event - and the hot dog dinner before hand. The boys were thrilled to have them there. They did so well during their program. As soon as he took his place on the stage, Freddie waved at me and said - for the whole crowd to hear - "Hey, Mama!" One day, I'll talk to him about poise and not breaking the fourth wall when he's in a show. Until then, I'll treasure the memory of that super sweet voice and that super sweet little wave.

Here's an Instastory detailing the whole evening.

Oh, and they MADE those t-shirts they're wearing. I think they're the most spectacularly awesome things I've ever seen.

Next up: Maker Fun Factory at Canton First Baptist. Being old enough for VBS is AWESOME.

Father's Day Festivities

When it came to Father's Day, we made a weekend out of celebrating. 

Things got started in Greenville on Saturday morning. Daddy and Jeremy played golf Saturday morning, and on their way out to Furman, the boys, Mom, and I joined them at Stax Original. As we walked out, we met a very sweet Greenville County Sheriff's Deputy, who offered to introduced Jones and Freddie to his dog. Of course, they accepted his invitation. Not surprisingly, they LOVED Mac.

From there, Mom, the boys, and I went to Greenville's Saturday Market. It was awesome. I have really learned to love living in Western North Carolina, but spending time in downtown Greenville makes me wistful for the Upstate and all of the opportunities there. 

BIIIIIIIGGGGGG sigh. 

Some of the highlights of being downtown was landing up on candy at Mast's General Store and watching the demolition of the Greenville News building. They boys sat ENTRANCED for probably twenty minutes as this giant claw machine tore apart - literally chewed it up - the parking garage elevator shaft.                          

After naptime, we all played in Mom and Daddy's pool. Jones LOVES the way Pop throws him in the air, and Pop hit his exercise quota for the month doing it over and over and over again. Freddie preferred the safety of a "ship." He mostly floated all over the pool, as his fear of the water has gotten pretty bad. I'm not sure what's happened there.

We went home after dinner and repeated the process the next day. We gave Jeremy his presents - including some homemade surprises, courtesy of Clyde First Baptist Preschool! - went to church and then had a big dinner at the Pressleys' house, where the boys also played in their new big, giant bucket. 

It was a wonderful weekend with all of the wonderful fathers in our lives.